


Flinch

by Malexander



Category: Men's Basketball RPF
Genre: 2020 NBA Finals, Basketball, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Miami Heat, Short, idk how to tag still <3, sorry i have an obsession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:22:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28763280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malexander/pseuds/Malexander
Summary: Reconciling with a gruelling finals loss leaves Jimmy a bit of a mess.
Relationships: Jimmy Butler/Goran Dragić
Kudos: 10





	Flinch

The clock strikes double zero. He gave everything he had left and it wasn’t enough. He’s not sure anything could've been enough.

Jimmy is staring at the ground on the way to the locker room, anticipating the speech they're all gonna receive as soon as the door closes.

He walks through the threshold, making a beeline to his chair. He sits down hard and resumes his study of the floor patterns of AdventHealth Arena. Goran takes his seat next to him, looking just as detached and disappointed as everyone else. The speech he predicted commences, with all the, “We were so close” and, “We’ll be back next year” an NBA Finals loss requires. He doesn't care. He knows he should be hanging onto every word, using it for motivation, but now all he can think about is the gap between the lockers opposite him and how such an expensive facility can have such an ugly aesthetic. 

His thoughts on interior design are interrupted when Goran goes to put a hand on his shoulder and... He flinches. Of course he does. As soon as he realizes what's happened he starts mentally kicking himself. In a friendship built on touches wherever whenever around whoever, the worst thing he could do is flinch and of course he does it. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Goran shrink back like he had done something wrong. Goran, who had grinded his ass in this league for over a decade to have a shot at a title only to injure himself in the first game, and now probably thinks Jimmy is blaming him for the loss. Fuck. Instead of thinking about floor tiles and lockers Jimmy is stuck with his head in his hands trying to come up with how to explain and apologize and atone for a sin he had no control over when- 

“You ok?” 

The locker room is empty. They're alone. God, he is so tired.

He looks into his best friend's eyes for the first time since the fourth quarter and sees guilt and pain and regret, all because of him.

He shakes his head. No way he could put forth the effort for words right now. He shuts his eyes and leans in, hoping, praying that Goran gets the message that he still wants, craves, needs to be touched, especially right now.

Of course he gets it.

They collapse into each other and now there are hands on his back and breath on his neck and he's being guided to the floor because, evidently, chair to chair is not the most comfortable position in the world, and now he's on the ground tangled up in his best friend and not a lot else matters. For now, at least, they are away from any media hounding them about every on-court mistake and off-court comment. Right now all the matter is the rise and fall of chests and gentle clenching of hands. He needed to say something.

“I’m sorry” He manages, muffled by the crook of Goran's neck.

The grip around his torso tightens.

“Not your fault” The words are firm and measured, “not anyone's.”

Then they just lay there, breathing in unison. No words needed to be said

Eventually, they both realized they couldn't spend the rest of their lives on this tile floor, nice as that would be. They had lives, and families, and a team bus that was hopefully still waiting for them. They got up, reluctant to let go of each other, and headed to their lockers to change. Jimmy finished first, like always, and waited for his friend.

“Alright, let's go.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hoped you liked it :)  
> oh and also im working on a raunchy 'un about a certain pair of boys in blue so ;)) keep ur eyes peeled ;)))) in another three months because i am incredibly unmotivated ;)))))))


End file.
